F-M’s Nick Ryan Sets His Sights on Portland

High School Athlete of the Week

This Saturday at the Nike Cross Nationals New York Regional, held at ultra-hilly Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, the self-described “fastest loser” will lay down a few of his cards in a prelude to his bid for the national title the following week in Portland, Oregon.

On Nov. 10, Nick Ryan, a Fayetteville-Manlius senior, ran 15:08 for 5K to win the New York State Public Schools class A title by 21 seconds in course-record time in Buffalo. His team suffered a one-point loss to surging Saratoga Springs, winner of last Saturday’s State Federation meet. As usual, Fayetteville skipped the Federation meet to focus on regionals, which should pit Fayetteville against Saratoga for the two NXN automatic team berths.

Ryan a “loser”? He said it himself after the Oct. 9 Manhattan Eastern States race at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The incomparable Edward Cheserek had just outkicked Ryan on the historic 2.5-mile course, which this month celebrates its 100th anniversary as a cross-country mecca. Cheserek’s time was 11:58.7, close to his course record of 11:55.4 set at Manhattan in 2011. No one else has ever broken 12 minutes.

That day, Ryan, 17, flew home second in 12:05.7, making him the No. 3 performer all-time in—well, you could say—100 years. Before Ryan’s sweat had dried, he went up to Fayetteville coach Bill Aris and said, “Guess what?” Aris waited. “I am now the fastest loser in Manhattan history.”

Laughter.

That’s a taste of Ryan’s self-deprecating sense of humor. He’s a grounded athlete who embodies the pure “Stotan” lifestyle heralded by Aris. As Ryan puts it, “I do my work and go to bed at the right time.” For him, that’s rarely later than 9:30.

Ryan’s commitment has made him one of the nation’s premier runners in both track and cross country. Last fall, Ryan capped his junior cross-country season with fifth place at NXN as his Fayetteville boys’ squad finished 12th in the nationals field. The four boys ahead of Ryan were seniors.

Ryan burnished his fall season with a series of track PRs, culminating in a state 1600m championship in 4:05.24, making him the 12th-fastest miler in the nation last spring (in the deepest year ever for boys’ milers). Ryan also captured the state 3200m in 9:03.81. He said he did not consider the 1600m performance so much a breakthrough as a “natural progression.”

That progression, said Aris, was enhanced by speed development that topped off Ryan’s strong aerobic base. Before long it was time for cross country again. “Our goal into the summer,” said Aris, “was to build upon that base with another layer of even higher aerobic development, and to reapply speed at a later date. That has coincided with Nick’s continuing physical maturity.”

Now, on the eve of regionals, Ryan has consolidated all of his training elements. He is clearly much stronger, and more seasoned, than the youngster who took out the NXN race like a rabbit last year in Portland. “I thought the pace would go out faster than it did and I found myself out there all alone,” said Ryan.

The lead pack overtook Ryan, who hung on with the group trailing the victorious Futsum Zeinasellassie of Indiana, now a Northern Arizona University freshman, across the line. Assuming he wins the regional, Ryan should be on the short list of NXN favorites along with Bernie Montoya of Arizona, who won last Saturday’s Southwest Regional, and Heartland Regional champion Jake Leingang of North Dakota. (Cheserek, the 2010 NXN runner-up and 2011 Foot Locker champion, will be contesting Foot Locker again.)

Ryan, 6 feet and 160 pounds, started running in seventh grade and is the latest in a long line of national headliners for the Stotans. While known for its girls’ team that will be seeking its seventh straight NXN championship in Portland, Fayetteville’s golden era began with the “Original Stotans,” the 2004 boys’ team. That squad set a Van Cortlandt Park team time record (broken this fall by Christian Brothers of New Jersey) in a one-through-five finish at the Manhattan meet en route to a second-place performance (to York of Illinois) in the first NXN event. Other marquee Fayetteville boys have included 2010 national indoor and outdoor mile champion Alex Hatz, now at Wisconsin.

Ryan roomed with Hatz in a college visit to Wisconsin this fall. In the end, Ryan decided to attend his neighborhood school, Syracuse, located about six miles from home. He will live on campus and is planning a business major.

It will be all business on Saturday at Bowdoin Park with NXN berths on the line. Bottom line: New York winners tend to do quite well at nationals.